by Tinalynge
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Tie Haolong spoke with a smile on his lips, and he extended his hand to greet all of them.
He was a head taller than Xue Wei; his hair was tied on top of his head with an elegant coiled dragon hairpin. He had two sharp eyebrows that resembled swords, and his eyes were clear and sharp. His facial features were pleasant to look at, and his lips were arched in a pleasant smile.
Tie Haolong was dressed in a beautiful sky blue robe that was made from Fierce Beast silk. It was adorned with silver embroideries of clouds. His hand, which he had extended to greet them all, was cool like porcelain, the skin was pale and beautiful.
All in all, Tie Haolong was very pleasing to the eye. He was a young master of the capital.
Song Yuyan had blushed slightly when she shook Tie Haolong's hand, and she nodded her head as she introduced herself.
She could be considered pretty, but Xue Wei, who was a friend of Luo Zhirou, found her a little lacking. She was not ugly, and she had some features that made her cute, but she was not a country-toppling beauty.
Fortunately, she was a second layer Earth Warrior, and this alone showed that she was well above the average genius in the Genius Camp. One should not underestimate her because of her somewhat ordinary appearance.
She too was wearing a dress made from Fierce Beast silk, and her colors were purple. She had a beautiful hairpin in her hair that accentuated her beautiful eyes.
Xiao Jie and Gu Dixing both introduced themselves as well. Xiao Jie wore clothes made of hide from a Fierce Beast. He was the biggest of them all, his body bursting with energy, and he had swelling muscles.
He was also the only one in their group who had short hair. His eyes were wild, and a grin was spread across his lips. He could not remove his eyes from Song Yuyan.
The final person in the group was Gu Dixing. He was a quiet person, and the only one in the group who did not wear clothes made from a Fierce Beast.
He was a commoner who had outstanding talent, and his biggest wish was to become a guard of one of the major families as soon as he had managed to survive the military time.
Having introduced themselves, all four turned to look at Xue Wei with expectant eyes. They were excited to hear the Crimson Devil introduce himself.
Chapter 34 - Armor
Xue Wei sighed. He was not sure he would be a benefit to this group of people. In fact, he was certain that when a fight breaks out, their group will become one of the most troubled ones in the entire battalion.
Still, he understood that it was important to have a cordial relationship with these people, and thus he gave a quick introduction of himself.
"Pleased to meet you all. I am Xue Wei, the nephew of Primordial Beast Hunter Xiao Lei. I am a fourth layer Earth Warrior."
He had nothing else to say, but he could see that his group had many things they wanted to ask him.
Tie Haolong laughed in a friendly way when he saw that Xue Wei had introduced himself, feeling a little relieved. Xue Wei was legendary for not wanting to get to know anyone, so just the fact that he had introduced himself was already a great accomplishment.
"As I said before, I am the young master of the Tie family within the capital," Tie Haolong said again, and the others listened to him attentively. "I would suggest that we go to the capital now. We have three days to get to know one another, and in these three days I suggest that you stay at my Tie family’s mansion. We can get to know each other better there, and I would like to host a banquet so that we can mingle and become good friends."
Xue Wei frowned and was about to say that he was not willing to stay at the Tie Mansion until he saw how the others were filled with excitement, with a shine in their eyes, and their body language indicated that they could not wait to go to the Tie Mansion.
When he noticed their eagerness, Xue Wei did not want to be the one to burst their bubble, so he sighed and nodded his head, reluctantly agreeing to go there.
He knew that this Tie Haolong was anything but an ordinary individual. To reach the third layer of the Earth Warrior rank showed that he was a very talented young man, and he even knew how to make these people he met for the first time today follow him unconditionally with only a few words.
"This is the most dangerous type of person," Xue Wei concluded after seeing how Tie Haolong conducted himself.
Together, the group returned to their tents, packed the few belongings they had, and left the tent city. They would not be coming back here, as their year as recruits was over and now it was time for them to become genuine soldiers.
On the way to the capital, Tie Haolong spent the time talking with everyone in the group. However, whereas Xiao Jie, Gu Dixing, and Song Yuyan did everything in their power to answer all his questions, Xue Wei stayed quiet and alert.
He walked at the back of the group, a few steps behind the others, and one could almost begin to doubt whether or not he belonged to this group of experts.
Xue Wei did not care. Although Tie Haolong had tried to engage in conversation a few times, he quickly smiled wryly and gave up. He quickly came to the conclusion that the Crimson Devil was as much of a loner as the rumors said.
Tie Haolong clearly wanted to have a good relationship with Xue Wei, so he slowed down and walked side by side with Xue Wei.
"You know, we should all go to the Golden Chambers," he said, as if he had just been hit by a bright idea. "We should get our hands on some armors. We are not able to become soldiers if we are not wearing armors."
Everyone nodded their heads, all apart from Gu Dixing. He was nervously fiddling with his clothes.
Seeing his actions, everyone could guess that he did not have the money to purchase Fierce Beast armor, but Tie Haolong laughed out loud and slapped him on the shoulder, "Don't worry brother Gu."
"I will pay for the armor for all of us. My Tie clan might not have many things, but money we have in surplus. I can at least afford a piece of armor for each of us."
"Do not decline me, any of you," he said magnanimously. "I am looking at this as a future investment. We are a team, we rely on one another, and we have to be able to turn our backs to each other, knowing that our brothers, and sister, will guard it unconditionally!"
The speech made everyone, apart from Xue Wei, look at Tie Haolong with a feverish reverence in their eyes, but Xue Wei just snorted in his heart.
Although Tie Haolong had done all of this for the sake of the team, and although he seemed heroic, Xue Wei had noticed that he had constantly glanced at him to check his reaction. Was his every move an attempt to get Xue Wei on his side?
Even if Xue Wei did not want to become his supporter, he understood that he would be seen as Tie Haolong’s brother no matter what. They were in the same group, and thus their relationship had to be good.
Tie Haolong clearly wanted to use this to his advantage, and Xue Wei could not blame him. At least he was trying to build a genuine relationship with him, but he still did not want to accept it, as his acceptance also indirectly meant getting his uncle’s favor.
Xue Wei was in deep thought while walking, but he had to admit that Tie Haolong was correct when he said that he needed to get his hands on a set of armor. He also needed to get at least one more set of clothes, as he would be traveling the kingdom in the future.
As a result, he did not decline when Tie Haolong suggested that they went to the Golden Chambers.
Their group was not the only one on the way towards the capital. Every single group of the recruits was on its way to the capital, and chatter could be heard everywhere.
Gu Dixing was quiet and listened attentively to the others as they spoke, while Tie Haolong told the rest of the group everything he knew about the army and how it worked.
Xue Wei listened as well, but he was not as eager as the others. He had read many books about the army and knew more or less everything that Tie Haolong was saying.
Soon, the horde of recruits reached the capital. All of them entered the Outer City, an
d here the recruits started spreading. Many of the lower ranked recruits which were first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh layer Ordinary Warriors spread out through the Outer City, looking for inns or finding a home of one of their comrades to stay at while waiting out the three days before it was time for them to depart for war against the Primordial Beasts.
Others continued on into the Inner City, mainly the nobles and the higher ranked experts.
While most headed back to their mansions, Xue Wei followed Tie Haolong and the others towards the Golden Chambers.
"I am sorry for rushing you," Tie Haolong apologized, "but we need to keep in mind that everyone is going to be needing armor. As a result, we need to hurry and get our hands on it first."
Gu Dixing, Xiao Jie, and Song Yuyan nodded their heads seriously. "We need our armor fast," they agreed, and all of them rushed towards the Golden Chambers.
As they entered the building that sold fabrics and clothes, Xue Wei recognized a few people from his last visit, and they seemed to recognize him too. However, they also recognized Tie Haolong.
Moments after, the manager of this shop appeared out of nowhere. "Young hero Xue Wei, Young Master Tie Haolong and your friends, it is a pleasure for us to greet you in our humble shop," he said with a bow.
"We assume that your group just finished the recruitment training regimen and you are here for some armor for each of you? Please tell me the specifics, and I will ensure that they are made promptly."
While the manager spoke, another three groups appeared in the Golden Chambers' shop, all of which were clearly young masters that were as eager to buy their armor as Tie Haolong. When they noticed that a group had already appeared, they could not hide the sour look on their faces, but they quickly turned to the servants that had come to get their order.
Xue Wei stepped forward, "I am looking for a piece of armor made with the exterior parts of a Red Scaled Earth Dragonhorse," he said with a stern voice. "I am aware that the Red Scaled Earth Dragonhorse is a Fierce Beast with a diluted bloodline of a dragon. Its scales are obviously red, so is its hide. I want the armor to be made from the hide and the scales of this beast."
"I am also looking for three sets of robes made from a Great Fire Worm's silk."
The Great Fire Worm was one of the most famous Fierce Beasts when it came to silk. It was a creature that produced red silk that had the element of fire imbued into it.
This silk was incredibly expensive, and only the richest could afford to wear it.
Hearing that Xue Wei wanted three robes made from that silk, Tie Haolong’s face dropped, but when he saw Xue Wei taking out his purse, he felt a little better but also insulted. He had promised to pay for the armor of all his 'brothers’, but he had also understood that even he would have money problems if all of them wanted armor on the level of the Red Scaled Earth Dragonhorse.
The manager smiled as he saw Xue Wei withdrawing his purse and instantly led him to the counter where he paid the price of the items, and then he was led into a small room where a woman started measuring his figure.
He had experienced this last time too, and now he just casually stood still, allowing for the woman to measure his arms, legs, waist, and so on.
After finishing, Xue Wei saw that the others were being measured right at that moment, and he received a token from the manager.
"You can return tomorrow to pick up the finished products. I promise that they will have been made to the best of our ability and that they will be beautiful but also sturdy and a great assistance in a fight."
Xue Wei nodded his head. He then found a place to wait for the other four.
While he was waiting, more and more people arrived in the shop. Although it was a rather sizeable shop, it was soon filled to the brim with young experts that had arrived to commission some armor.
As Tie Haolong and the others finished, the group gathered outside once more. All of them had their tokens in their hands, and their eyes were glistening with excitement.
Especially Gu Dixing was excited. He had not only gotten a set of armor, but Tie Haolong had also bought a set of Fierce Beast silk robes for him.
"Now, let us return to my family mansion," Tie Haolong laughed happily. "I would be honored to host a banquet for my newfound brothers and sister. I wish to show my sincerity and give us a chance to become closer!"
Xue Wei said nothing against it. Following that, all of them headed towards the Tie mansion. The Tie family was rather significant within the capital; their family had many officials in the court, and they had quite a few strong cultivators.
As they reached the mansion, a whole group of servants was waiting outside. When they spotted Tie Haolong, they all bowed deeply. "Greetings, Young Master Haolong. Greetings, Young Master Haolong's friends," they said in unison.
Chapter 35 - Straight Talking
Xue Wei was surprised when he saw how the maids were waiting for them, and even more so when he entered the mansion and was led to the dining hall where a feast had been prepared.
Although Xue Wei was surprised, his face did not display any of his emotions, while the others did nothing to hide their surprise, which made Tie Haolong chuckle.
He then lifted his sleeves and showed off a braided cord around his arm with a small bead placed within it.
"This is a communication device," he introduced. "It is a thing that allowed me to inform my family that we were on the way and have them prepare the meal in advance."
"These communication devices are very rare," Tie Haolong continued the explanation, and his face grew stern all of a sudden, his eyes solemn. "Only a handful exist within each of the noble families, and they are guarded as treasures. Only the important members are allowed one of these devices, and I was only granted one because I had to go to the recruitment camp."
Xue Wei almost snorted. Was Tie Haolong not indirectly stating that he was an important member of the Tie family this way?
But when he thought about it, he had to admit that it made sense. A family had to put value on the members that showed promising potential and to have made it to the Genius Camp showed that he had talent.
Finishing his time at the Genius Camp as one of the few third layer Earth Warriors showed that he was very much above the rest of the geniuses, only overshadowed by a few figures.
When such a genius emerged, it would be strange for the family not to consider him important in their ranks, and Tie Haolong also had a way of manipulating people.
During this time, everyone in the group, Xue Wei included, had already agreed that Tie Haolong was their leader. He was the one in charge of their group despite not being the strongest, and this in itself was quite a feat.
But Xiao Jie, Song Yuyan, and Gu Dixing had given him their full support; and they would follow him blindly in the future and had placed all their faith in him knowing what was the best for their group.
Xue Wei had conceded the position of leader to Tie Haolong simply because he could not be bothered to step up and take over.
He also knew that he would not be able to unite their team with his apathetic and uninterested personality, and worse, when fighting, he would not be able to keep a cool head and properly call the shots.
The night was spent with all of them eating their fill at the feast. While Song Yuyan, Xiao Jie, and Gu Dixing were busy narrating their entire lives to Tie Haolong, Xue Wei was smiling as he listened to all three despite the bombardment of personal information.
Xue Wei could not help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. His impression of Tie Haolong was a scheming and shrewd person, but right now he was patiently listening to everything these people had to say with a smile on his face and even the right comments at the right times.
Xue Wei had to commend him for his way of accepting anything that was being said to him. He was hospitable, friendly, and attentive to their every need. He showed genuine interest in what they had to say, and he was happy to assist in anything he could assist with.
&nb
sp; At the start, Tie Haolong had tried to pull Xue Wei into the conversation, yet after being met with single sentence answers and an apathetic expression, he quickly understood that it only made the conversation among the group awkward, so he decided to focus on making Xiao Jie, Song Yuyan, and Gu Dixing feel better.
Xue Wei had nothing against Tie Haolong and the others, but he did not know them either. He was always cautious when it came to forging new relationships.
He had already experienced it once, people trying to reel in his uncle through him, and it wasn’t as though his early experiences were any help in making him socialize with others - the thought of it alone made him recall nothing but the memories of being hurt by others. He was socially awkward when it came to strangers, and his only friends were Shen Mu and Luo Zhirou.